Hello,
Sorry for joining the decussion late!
I've taken a course in Radio Frequency Engineering and believe me electricity at high frequency can act in very peculiar ways. I've recently been involved in a question about a metal extractor inside a patient being directly connected to the theatre table, while a diathermy is used. We've reached a successful conclusion on the subject, but the issues are far from simple.
My question is should surgeons have to make decisions on issues like this. On what basis, probably a basic understanding of ohms law gained while studying for his exams as a student. Don't get me wrong surgeons are highly educated intelligent people, who make life and death decisions every day (hence their pay to account for this). We claim it's a clinical issue, but if we're honest with ourselves we know this problem is not in their field of expertise.
Maybe talking with manufacturers and people who run courses in electrical safety may point you in the right direction.
Adrian.
